


Moving Obstacles

by possumintrash



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Drama, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Original Character(s), Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Work In Progress, idkmanimnewhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29745972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possumintrash/pseuds/possumintrash
Summary: After proving her worth during the Battle of Sokovia, Sloane Morgans, a 21-year-old with telekinesis is invited to join the Avengers. Everything is going (fairly) well until one day, a stranger with a troubled past visits the facility.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME POSTING ON THIS SITE SO FORGIVE ANY FORMATTING ERRORS!  
> The last time I wrote fanfiction was in like 2014 but i have found myself mildly obsessed with this fandom! Please keep all comments constructive, I am just a little creature,,,,that is it,,,,

When she closed her eyes, she was there again. Running towards the falling man, a scream strangled in her throat, her body sensing that it would be a waste of air to let it loose now. Not now. Not yet. 

Her feet pounded the cracked concrete, mirroring her frantic heartbeat as she threw herself towards her injured comrade. Calling his name in a voice that sounded all too calm, she flipped the motionless man over, revealing the seeping wounds that covered his chest  
.  
“Pietro. Pietro! Focus on me!” she snapped, tilting his chin till their eyes met. 

He half chuckled, a low gurgling emanating from his throat as he forced the sound out. 

“слишком поздно.” he muttered, his eyes flitting rapidly across the woman's features. 

She didn’t understand the words he choked out but the message was clear. He was fading fast. 

Closing her eyes, she held a hand over the dying man's chest. She sensed the familiar pull of motion and grasped at it like it was her life on the line. For one bright moment, it seemed to work. The man below her gasped and huffed in a lungful of air, the blood that seeped into his chest momentarily stopped. He looked up and smiled weakly. 

"You caught me again it seems," he mumbled. 

The woman didn’t even register the response. She was so tired. The pull of motion seemed to be tugging at the very fabric of her being, tearing it slowly as she tried desperately to keep the young man together. 

A strangled cry jolted her out of her trance. A mother, calling out for her son. 

Just like that, it dropped. The man beneath her went slack, his eyes focusing on her one last time.

“Tell Wanda I’m sorry.”

\--

All at once, I was awake, the scream that had been caught in my throat moments before filling the still morning air. Gasping, I clutched at my chest, trying to force my breath to even out. After a few ragged gasps, I managed to gain something close to composure and winced as I noticed the sweat-drenched sheets beneath me. Gross. 

Peeling back the damp fabric, I swung my legs out of bed just as there was a knock on my door. Only one person was polite enough to knock after I’d, once again, awoken the entire facility. 

“Come in Steve.” 

Captain Rogers peeked in, the concern on his face almost comical for how often this happened. 

“Hey, you alright? Heard you caterwauling again, thought you’d gotten in a fight.” He questioned the worry still evident as he tried to lighten the mood. 

A laugh bubbled up, almost involuntarily at the thought of all 5’2 of me getting into any sort of trouble in a place that housed some of the world's deadliest individuals. 

“You know me, Cap.” I chuckled, running a hand through my hair, “Always kicking ass and taking names.” 

He smiled, seeming pleased that, despite my earlier frenzy, I was still able to crack wise. 

“Seriously though, I’m good. Just the dream again.”

Steve’s brow furrowed and I immediately regret not letting the air stay light and playful. 

"Thought so. Seemed rude to ask," he said, eyes soft, holding a sympathy that made me feel both happy and ashamed. "Have you spoken to anyone about it yet? A professional, I mean?" 

I shrugged. 

“I don’t think that’d help, Cap. Just gotta ride it out.” 

It wasn't the first time someone on the team had suggested I see someone about what happened in Sokovia. I could see where they were coming from, of course, but I just didn't like the idea of being analyzed. Yes, the nightmares were bad but they were becoming less traumatic, showing that I was obviously doing something right. 

Steve nodded, knowing better than to push the topic. He was good at letting people have their space whilst also knowing that he wasn’t far away. 

“Alright, well, I hope you’re ready for training today. You don’t get to sit out just because you’re all groggy.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” I shot back, smiling at my admittedly awful pun. 

He shut the door but not before chuckling softly. I grinned to myself. At least I was still fucking hilarious. 

\--

Washed, dressed, and feeling slightly more human, I headed out for some breakfast. I took my time walking down the hall towards the main building, trying to decide what to eat today. The cafeteria was more like a restaurant with the number of options it provided, though it was severely lacking in fried food. My mind wandered to the type of breakfasts I would have back home. Fried eggs, square sausage, and tattie scones...it was enough to make me consider the transatlantic flight to Edinburgh.  
  
As I strolled down the brightly lit corridor, musing silently about hashbrowns, a small movement outside caught my attention. I stopped and had a look out the large windows, knowing full well whoever was outside could see me languidly daydreaming, which wasn’t a good look when you were meant to be A Badass Superhero. I was relieved when it turned out to be Steve and Tony, heatedly discussing something on the lawn of the Facility. The glass was, of course, soundproof but I could still tell they were having an argument. I stalled, the snoop in me fully invested in whatever situation was playing out when I heard a voice from around the corner. 

“I don’t know what Steve is thinking,” snapped a voice that immediately registered as Natasha’s, “it's far too soon to bring this guy around the team, especially after what-” 

She turned the corner and took notice of me almost immediately. Two seconds later, Sam Wilson appeared also, giving a small wave. 

“Morning guys!” I greeted cheerfully, trying to hide the fact that I was clearly listening in, whether intentional or not. 

Natasha curled an eyebrow and gave me a withering look. 

"Sloane, if you're going to spy on people, I'd recommend you don't do it in the middle of a corridor with floor-length windows." 

I arranged my expression into one of total hurt and innocence.

"Nat...I'm wounded...I was simply walking to breakfast when I saw an altercation outside…" I fake sobbed, wiping imaginary tears from my eyes. "As a CONCERNED FRIEND, I took notice, only to hear your frankly harrowing conversation about our darling, Steve-"

Nat snorted.

“Shut up.” 

I smiled at her cheerily. 

“So, what’s the gossip?” I asked, striding forward to meet them.

Sam Wilson gave his companion a pointed look and she shook her head. 

“You know, I can just give you a sweet high five and your secrets will be spilled, right?” I joked.

"You try and I'll put you on your ass," Natasha warned, her expression conveying that this was not, in fact, a joking time.

“Sorry. Is something wrong, though? Anything to be aware of?” I asked, worry creeping into my voice as I began to grasp the severity of the situation. 

“It’s fine, just a small...disagreement between friends!” Sam butt in, obviously trying to ease the tension a little. “Kind of confidential though, hence the secrecy and Natasha Being Pissed Off.” 

I nodded, deciding to let it go for now. I carried on down the corridor, turning back to grin at the duo.

“I’ll be in the cafeteria if the weight of your secrets becomes too much to bear!”

Nat scoffed and continued on, obviously staying quiet until she could get to a more secure location. 

Huh. Never a dull moment, eh? 

\--

There was definitely something going on here. 

I glanced around the cafeteria to see who was around. Wanda was sitting at a table with Vision, speaking quietly, a bowl of cereal untouched in front of her. She looked up and caught my gaze, giving me a cautious half-smile, though her eyes flicked quickly back to her current conversation partner.

I tried not to dwell too much on Wanda’s opinion of me. I know it wasn’t negative but I don’t think she’ll ever be able to look at me without being reminded of her brother. I found myself in the same boat in that regard. 

I tried to shake the thought out of my head. I had enough of those images in my nightmares, I wouldn’t let myself dwell on them in the light of day. 

I sighed and steeled myself mentally. They were the only people around and today, I had an agenda. I strode across the room, a tray of assorted breakfast foods in hand, and plopped myself down next to Vision. They both looked at me, surprised at this sudden interruption. 

“Good morning!” I greeted cheerily. “How is it going on this side of the cafeteria today?” 

I internally kicked myself. This was not how normal people spoke. 

Wanda stared at me for a second.

“It seems to be okay? Is there something happening on the other side?” she answered, her confusion evident as she scanned the room. 

I was an idiot. 

“Ah, I guess I meant like…” 

Fuck it.

“Look, have you two noticed that the big bosses are acting weird today?” 

Wanda looked at Vision questioningly. He seemed to freeze for a second, unsure of how to respond. 

“That’s restricted information.” He said briskly.

I sighed, unable to keep the annoyance from my voice. 

"Come ON! We're all meant to be teammates here! Why are some of us not being kept in the loop?!" 

The young woman next to me turned to face her companion again, a quizzical look on her face. 

“Vis? What’s going on?” 

Vision shifted in his seat, seeming vaguely uncomfortable. 

"Mr. Stark gave me orders to not inform the newer recruits of today's developments," he stated, avoiding Wanda's penetrating gaze. 

“That’s bullshit!” I exclaimed, frustration bubbling over. “Why do YOU know, if that’s the case? YOU ARE A NEWER RECRUIT.”

Vision smiled nervously. 

”Well, technically-” 

Wanda interrupted, holding up a hand, stopping the android in his tracks. 

“I also agree that this,” she said, gesturing in my direction, “Is not right. We should know if something important is happening. We are a team.”

I couldn’t help the spark of joy that flared up in my chest at her affirmation. I smiled at her again, then directed my eyes towards Vision. 

“Come on, Vis.” I pleaded, discreetly taking off a glove under the table, “Be a pal!”

The android shook his head, resolute. 

“No, I’m afraid-” 

”IMPROMPTU HIGH FIVE!” I said, thrusting my hand in his face. 

On instinct, he swatted my hand away, my action only really sinking in when he felt our skins connecting.

“SLOANE”

Suddenly, I could see. Someone was coming. Winter Soldier…why did that name sound familiar? I searched through Visions scrambled thoughts until I found a face. I tried to focus but I felt my body tilt, the motion not registering till I was almost on the floor.

Then darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading ily

The first thing I noticed upon regaining consciousness was the dull ache in my temple. I winced, moving a tentative hand to the source of the pain. A small lump was forming on the right side of my head, confirming that I had indeed smacked my head on the floor when I fell. I cracked open an eye and groaned. The sterile, white walls confirmed that I had been carried to MedBay.

"Sloane."

I froze, recognizing the voice immediately. Oh fuck. 

I turned my head, trying to ignore the way the room spun at the slight movement. The eyes that met mine definitely belonged to Natasha Romanoff and she was definitely pissed off. 

"Guess you're not here to nurse me back to health?" I murmured, smiling weakly beneath my superior's withering gaze. 

"I'm more tempted to knock you out again, but I doubt that would stop you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," she stated cooly, "Do you mind telling me how much you found out whilst prying into your teammates head?"

I snorted, averting my eyes to the ceiling.

"Using my natural assets to assess a situation should be commended if anything," I retorted, not even bothering to hide the annoyance from my tone. "I wouldn't have had to pry if you were actually honest with me."

"It wasn't your business."

I whipped around to face her, temper flaring.

"Not my business?" I snapped. "This is my home, Nat! If there's something going on, I at least expect to get kept in the loop!" 

Natasha huffed, leaning back further on the chair. 

"Look, this wasn't kept from you out of disrespect," She said, the edge to her voice finally relenting, "It was a matter of keeping you safe. This situation could go south very fast and, no offense, you're not prepared to defend us or yourself from the things that could go wrong."

"I'm not fucking defenseless!"  
The woman beside me scoffed.  
"Debateable considering your current position."

I glared silently at the wall, unable to think of a witty retort that could lessen the irony of my current situation. 

Sighing, I relented. 

"I only saw that someone would be coming to the Facility," I said, still staring blankly at the ceiling. "The Winter Soldier. Who is he?"

"An extremely dangerous individual." 

"That doesn't narrow it down." 

When I turned again, Natasha was regarding me, her eyes conflicted. 

"If it were up to me, everyone on base would be informed but," she glanced down. "It's not my decision to make. I have to go, duty calls."

She rose from the plastic chair and strode out of the room before I could object again. 

"Well, fuck me I guess," I said to empty air.

Rubbing absentmindedly at the bump on my head, I wondered if the rest of the team thought I was that defenseless? True, I wasn't nearly good enough to be out in the field but my abilities were far from useless. The whole reason I was brought to the Facility was that Stark recognized my potential. I had been born with the ability to read minds via touch and cause moving objects to slow or stop for short periods of time. I had enhanced these powers on my own, learning to control and further my skills. Wasn't that worth anything?

I found my mind drifting back to Sokovia and the events of that day. It had been my second month living in the country and I was finally learning some basic Russian, although the local dialect was far beyond my skill level. I had even begun to frequent a local cafe, determined to get some in-person practice and maybe even make some friends. That's where I met Pietro…

I cringed mentally at the image of him. It hurt to think of him at all these days, even before it all went to shit. I felt that faint bubble of guilt rising in my chest for the second time that day and, once again, pushed it away. 

Later. 

\--

There was no one on duty in Medbay so I was able to leave as soon as my head stopped spinning. I briefly considered going to the gym or the training room but I figured I was in no state to further exhaust myself. The walk to the dormitories was strangely peaceful, the other onsite personnel busy with training, duties, or keeping secrets about a mysterious soldier. 

Reaching my room, I pushed open my door and slammed myself onto the bed, suddenly tired from my long day of falling over and getting myself into trouble. 

"You need to start locking your door." 

I practically jumped out of my skin and spun to face the voice. Wanda? 

"OH MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" 

The young woman in front of me smirked, not bothering to hide the amusement on her face. 

"I'm helping," she said, enigmatically. "I thought you could use a hand solving your little mystery."

I raised my eyebrows, confused. 

"Aren't you mad that I invaded your boyfriend's privacy or something?" 

Did...did Wanda Maximoff just blush?

"We are not together but...no. I am not annoyed. We have both been kept in the dark about these issues," she explained. "I, however, have more of a talent for being subtle." 

I thought back to the incident in the cafeteria and grimaced. Yeah. Subtle was my middle name. 

"I managed to see into his mind whilst he was distracted with your rather dramatic fall." 

"Which was purely intentional!" 

She scoffed and continued. 

"Yes, well. It seems they are bringing in a newcomer. An old friend of Captain Rogers..." She trailed off. "He is different. Dangerous, even. They'll be bringing him into the base tonight. Only those close to Rogers know of the operation." 

"So, what are we going to do about it? It doesn't seem like we'd be first on the guest list to see this dude." 

Wanda looked thoughtful for a moment. 

"I would like to see this man. See what he can do, how big of a threat he poses to the base," she answered. "You are welcome to come if you promise not to cause...a distraction again." 

I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face.

"I'm in." 

\--

I should've predicted how awkward a stakeout with my dead friends' sister would be but, at the time I was too busy thinking about how cool it would be to one-up my superiors. We were perched on the roof of the facility, in an alcove that gave us a clear view of the road leading into the compound. Several S.H.I.E.L.D agents had been bustling around the area, so it was pretty clear the main event would be happening soon. 

I shivered slightly, my light jacket doing nothing to protect me against the frigid air. Wanda sat on my left, dressed in a similar fashion but seemingly unphased by the cold night. 

"Do you think it's going to be much longer?" I whispered, trying to keep my teeth from clacking together.

Wanda rolled her eyes, giving me a look that I took to mean as "Sloane, we are surrounded by enhanced humans, please do not speak."

Reluctantly, I took off a glove and held my hand out, hoping she would understand the gesture. Eyeing me warily, she placed her hand in mine. I reeled back as I entered her mind.

-Try not to fall over this time. I will not be carrying you to Medbay again.-

I suppressed a smile at the thought of Wanda Maximoff carting my unconscious body down the halls of the Facility.

-Is there any sign of our mystery man yet?-

-I don't believe so...they seem to still be preparing for something- 

Her thoughts stopped, distracted by a sudden movement at the edge of the tree line.  
-Look.-

She let go of my hand and gestured towards the right side of the compound. I followed her gaze and saw two S.H.I.E.L.D agents, setting up just out of sight of the Facility. 

Wanda narrowed her eyes and moved forward, trying to get a better look at the pair. I followed, slightly confused at her suspicion but intrigued, nonetheless.

"Wanda wha-" 

She gripped my hand again, a flurry of thoughts hitting my brain all at once. 

-Why are they hiding over there? Wouldn't it make more sense to be in eye line of the building?-

I froze, an icy feeling welling inside my stomach.

I let go of her hand and ducked out of the alcove, conscious that I was exposed but spurred on by the feeling of unease that hung over my thoughts. I could hear the soft footsteps of Wanda behind me, obviously thinking the same thing. The agents didn't seem to notice us, instead focusing on a point down the road, facing away from the Facility. We were about 25 feet away from the pair when I noticed a car coming down the drive. Suddenly, there was a flash of metal as one of the agents shot out the front tire of the car. 

I had to do something. The treeline was within sprinting distance but it would take me a good 5 minutes to clamber off the roof. There was a loud bang as another round fired into the car, which had started spinning. Several voices were now shouting, I vaguely recognised some of them as my fellow Avengers. 

Without thinking, I jumped off the roof, aware that I had to stop these mystery shooters from hurting my teammates. I focused my energy and felt the familiar pull of motion as the gunman pressed on the trigger. I gripped the invisible strings, pulling them taut, slowing the speed of the bullet to a crawl. It was just enough time for Wanda to hit them with a blast of energy, which blew them both off their feet. 

In a second, I smashed into the ground.

The short fall knocked the air out of my lungs, leaving me reeling on the cold concrete. My adrenaline surged as I clambered to my feet, blood pumping as I rushed the two men, who were once again adjusting the weapon. I only had time to recognize that the barrel was pointing at me before I felt the impact of the bullet brushing against my side. 

I fell to the ground, clutching my wound as I was thrown back into memory. The blood seeping through clothes, the shouts of voices around me. 

No. Not again. 

I rolled to the side, ignoring the ache that vibrated through me as I stood, before the agents again. Another surge of red blasted past me, knocking one of the men into a tree with a sickening thud. The remaining gunman locked eyes with me before darting forward to pick up his fallen partner's weapon. I flinched, expecting another flash of pain but it never came. The gun was not pointing at me. 

I followed the direction the man was facing. A figure was racing from the car at an almost inhuman speed. The gunman took a breath and pressed down on the trigger. Almost subconsciously, I reached out and grabbed at the invisible threads that moved the bullets, slowing them once more. The action sapped at my remaining energy and I felt myself losing my grip. 

Just like that day. With all the blood. Failing again. 

"NO."

With a force I didn't know I had, I pulled the strings in the opposite direction, diverting the motion into the path of the gunman. Without a sound, he went limp, blood seeping from the two holes in his chest as he fell heavily to the ground. 

I fell to my knees, my body giving up beneath me. Before fading into unconsiousness for the second time that day, I saw the figure that had sprinted from the car reach the treeline. My eyes focused on his face. Him. Two words fell from my lips as I gave into the blackness behind my eyelids. 

"Winter...soldier..."


End file.
